Compositionally-based tools have been used to pre-select economically viable crude oils for lube refinery test runs and subsequent product quality evaluations for many years. These tools require detailed compositional characterization of a wide range of fuels and lubes crude assays to support their use. An integrated lubes process model incorporates fundamental models for distillation, lube extraction, dewaxing, and hydroprocessing and determines estimated yields and compositions of base oils from crude assays. The thermal and oxidation stability of finished products formulated from those base oils is then rapidly assessed by a set of compositionally-based lubes product quality models. The product quality models can be either embedded within lube process models or used in standalone mode.
Once a crude is screened using these tools, a refinery will typically conduct a test run to confirm process yields and to obtain product for quality assurance (“QA”) testing. The main focus of the product testing is to determine low temperature performance, interfacial behavior, and any other properties of the base oils which, when blended into the QA formulations, cannot be determined by existing models.
Clearly, the potential of the compositional-based approach was being limited by the absence of a predictive low temperature property (“LTP”) tool. Accordingly, there is a need for a predicative low temperature property tool. This invention satisfies that need.